Connecting device



March 18,1941.

CONNECTING DEVICE Filed July 13, 1959 I I l f I @112 I 1N VENTOR.

- E. DUR/ANT 2,235,255

Patented 18, 1941 UNITED STATES 3,235,255 I comao'rmo navrcn Durant, Cleveland, Dhio, ss nci tdrhe Edward 3 PATENT OFFICE National mennones e mpm Aprlica efiuiy lfian, Serial No. 7:84.291

' invention relates in general to'connecting the center was.

devices and more particularly to tubular sleeves for electrically and mechanically joining the ends of wires used for telephone, telegraph and other purposes.

In using a tubular sleeve to connect wires, the ends of the wires are inserted into the opposite ends or the sleeve and then the sleeve is compressed clrcumierentially to secure the wires therein. An example of a tubular sleeve is shown and described in Patent No. 1,936,185, issued to 01 W. Brenizer on November 21, 1933. In circumferentially compressing the sleeve, because it expands longitudinally. the operator begins substantially in the center where the ends 0! the wires meet and works outwardly towards the "'7 a termediate the ends of the sleeve, the practice heretofore has been to nick or punch the sleeve radially with a center punch on one side substantially mid-way between its ends to produce an internal boss or restriction against which the ay, -i '.he wires may abut when pushed into the m wmi' the making or punching served to facilitate the centering aflheewires. i pr ce several disadvantages. In the nistpleceew not always easy for the operators to know where That is, it the external mark produced by the nick or punch were on the bottom or reverse side, it was necessary to rotate the sleeve until the mark was visible. In the second place, the nick or punch weakened the center portion of the sleeve, as well as caused buckling or the sleeve.

Therefore, an object of my invention is to provide for facilitating the centering oi the ends 0! the wires within a sleeve without weakening the central portion of the sleeve.

Another object of my invention is to provide an external mark which extends circumferentially around the sleeve to obviate necessity of rotating the sleeve.

Another object of my invention is to provide an external mark which strengthens the central portion of the, sleeve.

Another object of my invention is to provide an internal boss or restriction which extends circumferentially around the internal diameter of the sleeve.

Another object of my invention is the method of rolling a groove entirely around the sleeve.

Another object of my invention is to facilitate 1 Claim. (Cl. 16-108) Figure 8 is aside view of my improved wire connecting device, securing the ends oi two wires together;

Figure 4 is an end view of two open dies in readiness to circumferentially compress the 10 sleeve about the wires;

Figure 5 is a cross sectional end view showing the dies in a closed position, compressing the sleeve about the wires;

Figure 6 is a side viewillustrating the method 15' of rolling a groove entirely ag ng the n gure: 7 is a cross sectional end view taken along line 1-1 of Figure 6.

With reference to the drawing, my improved 2() connecting device comprises a tubular body or sleeve i0 having a longitudinal opening H extending therethrough to receive from opposite ends of the tubular body the ends of the wires to be joined. The tubular body iii may be made of copper, bronze, steel, or any other suitable material and comprises an intermediate portion l2 and $939 end portions i3 and I4 adapted to be circumIerentiiElY E P 1 example, at spaced longitudinal least-lensing. Hand 23 (see Figure 3) by suitable dies 3% shown in Figures 4 and 5. The intermediate por'-' tion I! integrally joins the two end portions 13 and i4 and extends circurnierentially around the tubular body. The intermediate portion l2 has respectively smaller internal and external diameters i8 and i1 than the two end portions l3 and H. The smaller internal diameter i8 constitutes an internal boss or restriction, or stop for the ends of the wires to be joined. The internal boss it extends entirely around the-inside of the tubular body and since it will be engaged circumierentially by the ends of the wires pushed into the sleeve it need not extend radially in so far as a single boss or restriction, produced by a nick or a punch.

' The external diameter I'I serves as a visible indication or mark, registering with the boss or stop it, and obviates the necessity of rotating the sleeve, when positioning the dies i5 and ii at the locations 20 and 22, adjacent the interme-. diate portion II.

In the manufacture of my connecting device, the'intermedlate' portion I! may be provided by rolling the tubular body l0 between two mem- 55 part as is the case with the nicked or punched sleeve. The rolling action, since it makes a complete circumferential roll, prevents the sleeve from buckling as is caused by nicking or punching the sleeve on one side. The rolling method also lends itself torapid manufacturing.

Although I have described my invention with a certain degree of particularity, it is understood that the present-disclosure has been made only by way of example and that numerous ghanges in the details of construction and the combine ate portion and two end portions, the end portions comprising malleable material for engaging the ends oi the said wires, the diameter of the longitudinal bore within the two end portions being substantially the same throughout the entire length thereof and being slightly larger in diameter than the ends of the inserted wires, said malleable material of the end portions being compressible about the inserted ends of the wires at spaced longitudinal intervals for securely holding the ends of the wires therein against great tensile load stresses, the intermediate portion comprising a relatively narrow annular band of rolled-worked material integrally joining the two end portions and extending circumferentially around the tubular body, said vtrolled-worked intermediate portion being capation and arrangement of parts may be resortedbiecf withstan in 9- greater tensile load stress to without departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed.

I claim as my invention:

A connecting device for joining the ends of wires subjected to great tensile load stresses comprising a tubular body having a longitudinal bore therethrough to receive from opposite ends of the tubular bodythe ends of the wires to be joined, said tubular body having an intermedithan the twc endl portions andhaving smaller external and internal diameters than the two end portions, the smaller internafdiarnetei constituting a stop for the inserted ends of the said for the inserted end of said wires.

EDWARD DURANT. 

